I made up an energy ball recipe and it turned out really well. I’m so proud! Most energy ball recipes I’ve seen, or energy balls I’ve tried at coffee shops are far too sweet. There’s nothing that irks me more than recipes that represent themselves as “healthy” and “sugar free” but contain a cup or more of maple syrup or honey. That is a lot of sweetness.
These energy balls are sweetened with a few dates, my favorite 🙂 and just 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chunks. They are just sweet enough, nutty, toasty, and a lovely pick-me-up. I found them to be a perfect treat with my afternoon coffee.
Almond-Date-Chocolate Energy Balls
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 8 dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup toasted and salted almonds
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1-3 tbsp non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp dark chocolate chunks
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Pour oats onto baking sheet and bake until slightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly. It’s a bit of an annoying step I know, but the toasted oats really make a difference.
If your dates are soft, they are good to go. If they are hard from being in the fridge, put them in a cup and pour hot water over them and let sit for 10 minutes to soften.
In the meantime, pour almonds, almond butter, chia seeds, and oats into a food processor. Add the softened dates and pulse to combine. If the mixture isn’t sticking together, add 1-3 tbsp of milk until it holds together better. Finally add the chocolate chunks and pulse again until mixed. Some of my chocolate melted slightly from the warmth of the oats and I actually really liked how it created little pockets of chocolate in the energy balls. Don’t get too melty though or you’ll end up with a mess.
Remove blade from processor and stir mixture to make sure everything is combined. Roll into snitch-sized balls (golf-balls for you muggles) and place in Tupperware to store in the fridge. I was able to get about 15 balls.
